The Bible Study Podcast, episode 317. Today, the Bible Study podcast wraps up the study of Jonah with

Chapter 4. Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

We've sort of been alluding through the whole

study of Jonah here, and granted, it's not a long book, so it hasn't been a long study about chapter

four. And that chapter four is different than the story I learned about Jonah in Sunday school.

In Sunday school, I heard that Jonah was afraid, and therefore he did not want to go do what God said, and therefore he got on a boat,

and God stopped him and put him in a fish, or put him in a whale, I guess it's the Sunday

school version.

The problem with that is this is what Chapter 4 says.

Now remember, Chapter 3 ends with the people of Nineveh have repented in sackcloth and ashes,

and God has changed his mind then and said, because they have repented, I will not destroy the city.

Chapter four. But to Jonah, this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord,

isn't this what I said, Lord, when I was

still at home. That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you were a

gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love. A God who relents from sending

calamity, now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for it is better for me to die than to live.

But the Lord replied, is it right for you to be angry? Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city.

There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade, and waited to see what would happen to the city.

Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort.

And Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day, God provided a worm which chewed the plant so that it withered.

When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint.

He wanted to die and said, it would be better for me to die than to live.

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